Robert Anae (and 2010 BYU-TCU) Recap

I do not like to question certain things, like playcalling.  It is easy for fans to sit in front of their TVs or in the stands and feel like they can call a better game than an Offensive Coordinator.  The fact is: it is very difficult, in the heat of battle, to do things as effectively as they can be done, to decide in 10 seconds the best play to call in a situation that is unknown until that exact second (because an OC does not know how the previous play will finish).  However, in Robert Anae's case, the playcalling is only part of it.  The entire gameplan and strategy was as ineffective as the playcalling.

One could chalk up BYU's lack of success on offense to youth and inexperience.  However, the group that is on the field right now is the group that Anae has been working with since last January.  Heaps, the WRs, most of the TEs, the OL, and the 4-5 main RBs Anae is using have all been around the program AT LEAST 10 months now, and some of them are sophomores and juniors with a few years in the system already.  Anae had spring ball.  He had fall camp.  These guys have now played in 7 games.  They are not young and they are not inexperienced anymore: the freshman are basically sophomores, especially those that have been around since January.  [Now the schedule did not exactly help BYU: they have played 7 potential bowl teams (and certainly at least 5 or 6 of them will go to a bowl game), with their 4 easiest games of the season coming in their next four games.]  Anae, when is the time to open the playbook?

BYU had one very successful drive in the third quarter (I would like to point out it mostly included the type of playcalling I suggested).  My question is: how could Anae have such a crap gameplan put together for the TCU game for the third consecutive year?  Why did he finally turn to the only gameplan that had a chance in the second half, when BYU was down 17 points, and not from the start of the game?  And then, after some power-running and play-action passing worked, the next possession he runs up the gut with Kariya for 8 yards on first down, only to go outside on two consecutive running plays with DiLuigi and be forced to punt?  Anae, get it together, man.  If something is working, keep doing that, or at least fake that: DiLuigi outside was not working all game.  Also, if Heaps is going to play: let him play!  Let him do what he does well: throw the ball all over the field: the screen play is nice and all, the fade may look tempting, but both are very ineffective.  I have said it before and will repeat now: by trying to protect Heaps from failure, it becomes impossible for him to succeed.

The fact is: the defense played well enough for BYU to have a chance to win the game.  Special teams played decently enough for BYU to have a chance in this game.  TCU had 17 points going into the fourth quarter (14 of which were the result of poor OFFENSIVE strategy at the end of the first half).  But the offense only managed 13 yards and 1 first down in the first half.  I understand TCU has a great defense, but it was not the TCU defense that held BYU to 13 yards and 1 first down: it was the offensive coaching staff.

Bronco took measures to improve the defense.  While I do not believe he needs to take similar measures with the offense, he needs to insert his opinion there.  Everybody else is on board with playing BYU football again except for Robert Anae.  With that said: BYU goes on the easy stretch of its schedule.  In the next 5 weeks, they have 3 home games, a bye, and a road game against a 2-5 team (coming off a 3-9 season).  San Diego State is the best of the rest in the MWC and they beat them, with a double-digit lead most of the game.  I would be shocked (and asking for Anae's job) if they did not run over those 4, and were not 6-5 after this stretch, heading into the game at Utah.